1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a solar energy suntan booth including a collector plate serving as a sun bathing area and forming part of a dead air space provided with layers of insulation, a heater coil and adapted to support the sun bather as well as maintain and return heat to the sun bather present on the collector plate, and having means supporting side extensions from each of the side edges of the collector plate forming the booth and being inclined for reception of solar energy. More particularly, the collector plate together with the supporting side extensions is constructed and arranged for conserving and retaining warmed air immediately above the collector plate and tending to form a thermal layer of warm air within a space defined by the side extensions and the collector plate. Hooks or fasteners are provided for separably securing corners of the side extensions in an assembled array, and disassembled when the side extensions are folded for storage. A slotted shackle hinge is provided where an outer folding side extension folds over an interior side extension.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The following U.S. patents relate to this invention: U.S. Pat. Nos. 407,434, S. D. Evans; 408,204, E. D. Babbitt; 1,669,484, C. D. Mowry; 1,733,756, W. Rittenhouse et al; 1,772,219, E. Kempton; 1,860,299, W. J. Strandwitz; 1,917,498, B. Collins; 1,964,463, W. L. Gittings; 2,981,256, G. A. Besnah; 3,023,753, L. M. Wheless; 3,688,775, E. F. Raymann; 3,997,927, R. L. Culligan; 4,140,128, J. Van Der Schaaf.
Each of the patents discloses a sun bath apparatus which merely allows an individual resting in the apparatus to receive a suntan. None of these patents discloses all of the specific details of the present invention in such a way as to bear upon the patentability of any claims of the invention.